Hi all
i have had my IRN (Dexter) since he was 2 - 3 weeks old and have hand raised him. He is now approx 9 - 10 weeks old and I am only feeding him once per day. I wanted to know what was the normal age to stop hand feeding them as i have seen that some people dont stop completely until they are alot older. He has also started carrying on like a pork-chop....constantly wobbling his head and screeching at me for food. It is driving me insane!!!! I dont think he has also got the idea of eating seed as it is never touched.
Help would be greatly appreciated,
Jess
IRN weening
Moderator: Mods
oh i forgot to mention. i give him heaps of fruit and veggies and he eats most of them (he was playing with them but now eats them). he also was eating these pellet things i bought but he doesnt seem interested in them anymore.
so they will stop taking the hand formula when they want to and naturally progress onto seed? he started flying about 2 weeks ago so i thought that he was ready to come off the formula.
thankyou everyone
so they will stop taking the hand formula when they want to and naturally progress onto seed? he started flying about 2 weeks ago so i thought that he was ready to come off the formula.
thankyou everyone
Most avian behaviorists and breeders have come to the conclusion, after many years of observation, that force weaning a bird leads to behavioral problems later on in the bird's life.
It's best to keep on with the last feeding at night (at least) until it is consistantly refused.
Every parrot will wean at his own time.
If he only gets attention while being fed, that could lead to him 'crying' for food when he really wants attention.
Veggies and fruits are the most important things he could be eating anway- with some scrambled or hard-boiled egg thrown in for good measure.
Feed the fresh stuff at sunup, as this is when they normally begin eating. You can feed again in the late afternoon.
And figure out if he's actually eating the veggies and fruits, or just taking them apart and dropping them.
Most babes will play with seed at first- one of the best seeds to start with is millet. It's small, easy to shell and tasty. Once they've mastered millet, they can move on to other seeds.
It's best to keep on with the last feeding at night (at least) until it is consistantly refused.
Every parrot will wean at his own time.
If he only gets attention while being fed, that could lead to him 'crying' for food when he really wants attention.
Veggies and fruits are the most important things he could be eating anway- with some scrambled or hard-boiled egg thrown in for good measure.
Feed the fresh stuff at sunup, as this is when they normally begin eating. You can feed again in the late afternoon.
And figure out if he's actually eating the veggies and fruits, or just taking them apart and dropping them.
Most babes will play with seed at first- one of the best seeds to start with is millet. It's small, easy to shell and tasty. Once they've mastered millet, they can move on to other seeds.
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